Mix tapes are part of the essential fabric of house music. Back in the days when the internet was still a half-baked idea known only to IT boffins and vinyl was the only way you could buy the latest tunes (always providing they were actually released and your local record store could get a copy) mix tapes were highly prized currency. Most were bedroom-mixed by aspiring DJs of course, but the most sought after tapes were live mixes by top DJs, often surreptitiously recorded straight off the mixing desk; early house music sets by the likes of Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles are still highly prized today. 　　　Ever the innovator, Strictly Rhythm figured that if people were hungry for dull, hissy, third generation bootleg cassette mixes, they might like a properly recorded version of the same thing. The Strictly Rhythm Mix was born and launched in 1993 with two of the biggest house DJs of the day, Tony Humphries and Louie Vega, mixing straight from the vinyl without access to any of the software trickery that makes todays studio DJ mix such a breeze. Now, as part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations weve unearthed all the original mix sessions and for the first time in years are making these rare releases available once again, releases that include mixes by the likes of Armand Van Helden and Lil Louis as well as Messrs Humphries and Vega. THE TONY HUMPHRIES STRICTLY RHYTHM MIX VOLUME 2 Tony Humphries assumed the role of the worlds premier garage DJ when Paradise Garage legend Larry Levan passed in 1992. But although hugely instrumental in the development of the New York / New Jersey garage sound, The Hump was greatly influenced both by his frequent trips to Europe and his 1993 residency at the Ministry of Sound. As the scene started to split into one faction who preferred the more soulful style and another that championed the new Wild Pitch and tribal flavours, Humphries was happy to incorporate elements of both in his continuing quest to uncover new producers, new records and new sounds. His second Strictly Rhythm mix compilation reflects that unconventional approach as smooth tunes like Louie Vegas mix of Erick Morillos Dancin and South St Players (Who?) Keeps Changing Your Mind and Stop Using People butt up against tougher grooves like M&Ms So Deep, So Good, Latin stompers like The Tribes Latin Flavor and Armand Van Heldens tribal bangers Zulu and Indonesia.